Count Down To Nomad Life

[Mickey]

I gave my notice to vacate for September 30th 2021. I had to give 60 days but I gave it on July 7th, 84 days, in order to generate a sense of urgency. Burn the ships.

At that time all I needed was to sell my 2002 Ford Escape 4x4 and I could afford a van. I left it in for inspection and to sell it I'd have to put the same amount into it I was asking. So plan B. Start off in the Escape.

This scared me, daunted me, freaked me out. I went through a lot of stress in recent weeks accepting the fact.

I was stuck in the no mans land of comfortably surrounded by my things and letting go..

I'm letting go more now and committing to the Escape. After all, this was the idea of burning the ships. Had I not, I might say give it another month or 2 and save more, but nothing is more important to me than just getting started.

I'm not totally being forced into this. I just can't stand living in an apartment building any longer. I've been in an intense state of stress for well over a year, not only due to lockdowns destroying my business, but the noise all around me.

My options are to stay here and recover my business and get it strong again and keep going here, or hurling myself into the screaming abyss of the unknown to see if my healing is there.

I choose to dive.

I just got home from a 20 minute run through the doggie park with Blue, took off my shoes and took down all my pictures. Just that alone made things feel lighter.

I have been ordering like a madman off Amazon everything I think I'll need for breakdown recovery and living comfortably, according to what I find on Bobs' channel as well as his Udemy course. The money I had saved for the van is going into this. Also got new tires and some safety issues fixed on the Escape, tie rod, breaks.

I'm gonna take out the passenger seat as well as the back ones to maximize space. I'll get a roof box too. Can't wait to get out there and boondock on some Ontario crown lands. I'm getting more excited for life in the Escape and committing to making it work with it's limited space, but less limited maneuverability and places in nature it will open up.

 

[lab_nomad]

How exciting! I see lots of YouTube videos of people in SUV’s, so it’s totally doable. And if you’re Canadian, you’re lucky. Maybe I’m misinformed, but just from watching videos of Canadian van dwellers like Vancity VanLife and Foresty Forest, it looks like Canada is more friendly towards overnight parking, though I could be wrong. At the very least, if you get rousted, the cop will probably be friendlier about it.

 

[WanderingRose]

Sometimes we take a leap because it feels like the right thing to do, building our parachute on the way down.

Good luck to you.

 

[user 16179]

I gave my notice to vacate for September 30th 2021. I had to give 60 days but I gave it on July 7th, 84 days, in order to generate a sense of urgency. Burn the ships.

At that time all I needed was to sell my 2002 Ford Escape 4x4 and I could afford a van. I left it in for inspection and to sell it I'd have to put the same amount into it I was asking. So plan B. Start off in the Escape.

This scared me, daunted me, freaked me out. I went through a lot of stress in recent weeks accepting the fact.

I was stuck in the no mans land of comfortably surrounded by my things and letting go..

I'm letting go more now and committing to the Escape. After all, this was the idea of burning the ships. Had I not, I might say give it another month or 2 and save more, but nothing is more important to me than just getting started.

I'm not totally being forced into this. I just can't stand living in an apartment building any longer. I've been in an intense state of stress for well over a year, not only due to lockdowns destroying my business, but the noise all around me.

My options are to stay here and recover my business and get it strong again and keep going here, or hurling myself into the screaming abyss of the unknown to see if my healing is there.

I choose to dive.

I just got home from a 20 minute run through the doggie park with Blue, took off my shoes and took down all my pictures. Just that alone made things feel lighter.

I have been ordering like a madman off Amazon everything I think I'll need for breakdown recovery and living comfortably, according to what I find on Bobs' channel as well as his Udemy course. The money I had saved for the van is going into this. Also got new tires and some safety issues fixed on the Escape, tie rod, breaks.

I'm gonna take out the passenger seat as well as the back ones to maximize space. I'll get a roof box too. Can't wait to get out there and boondock on some Ontario crown lands. I'm getting more excited for life in the Escape and committing to making it work with it's limited space, but less limited maneuverability and places in nature it will open up.

Slow down. Stop ordering stuff like a madman until you KNOW what you need. (You won't possible know what you NEED before you even back out of the driveway.)
Taking out the passenger seat will result in more useable space than you think. I built a little platform for the 12v fridge with storage underneath, and storage in front of the fridge under the dash/glove box. Don't just buy the roof box. Only purchasing what you need when you find out that you need it could save you more space than what the roof box holds, along with a matching supply of cash not sitting in unused items.

 

[maki2]

It is winter in Ontario, most likely their plans are on hold for another month at minimum.

 

[urbankid12]

Oh how exciting!

I remember my first time haha... Before I moved into the minivan I took a long weekend to try out minivan life. From Minnesota I got on I-94 and headed west and got into North Dakota. I really wanted to actually hit Montana but I stopped halfway across North Dakota. I found some lovely parks I spent the entire day at and people watched.

So many people live the traditional life working all day and enjoying the parks in the afternoons if not only on the weekends... spending the weekday in a big park is awesome! You get the entire space to yourself! ...that is what attracted me to minivan life.. working online and finding a way to have more time to myself to enjoy life and the enjoy what others can't seemed like such a dream!

I still remembered eating my breakfast in the parking lot of a big box store after waking up.. I watched all the workers going in for another day of work.. just like I would be doing after my long weekend.. I watched the birds and drank my coffee and enjoyed the morning and absorbed it ALL in..

I would suggest you take a few days during the next month or so to do that as well.. learning what you will during such an experience is going to help you better understand what is important to you during your SUVlife going forward...

But be careful... don't go to far out... I knew had I gone further and made it to Montana I wouldn't bother to go back! I turned around, I learned what I needed to learn on that weekend and I did the work and cleaned out my apartment and eventually moved away..

Take a weekend to clear your head, enjoy the morning coffee in an empty parking lot and enjoy the silence! People watch from a distance and just think and be, your adventure will be starting soon, but that may not be soon enough, take a pre-adventure and treat yourself to some R&R even if it's just a short weekend trip. My first trip I slept in my drivers seat the entire time with my dog on my tummy under a blanket. I was perfectly content with that then and now I am much more appreciative of the luxury life I have built for myself in my minivan.

Hope you have a wonderful day, and thanks for sharing your lives journey! cheers!

 

[Telcobilly]

Escaping in your Escape.

 

[Username]

I'm getting more excited for life in the Escape and committing to making it work with it's limited space, but less limited maneuverability and places in nature it will open up.

Have you considered just towing a small teardrop trailer? Get a bed, kitchen, fridge, toilet packed into 8-12 feet of length. Then use the back of the Escape for storage. Usually towable by small SUV. You should be able to find a decent one for 5-10k.